The American Dream in the 1950s - Economic Boom and Social Transformation

1. Standard Addressed: 11.8 Students analyze the economic boom and social transformation of post–World War II America. CH 19-SEC 2 Lesson Objectives: Section 2 - The American Dream in the Fifties • Explain how changes in business affected workers. 2. Describe the suburban lifestyle of the 1950s. 3. Explain the increase in consumerism in the 1950s. 4. Identify causes and effects of the boom in the automobile industry.

2. A BULLDOG ALWAYS Commitment Attitude CARES Respect Encouragement Safety

3. THE POSTWAR BOOM THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S John Naisbitt

4. SECTION 2: THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE FIFTIES • After WWII ended, Americans turned their attention to their families and jobs • New businesses and technology created opportunities for many • By the end of the 1950s, Americans were enjoying the highest standard of living in the world Ozzie and Harriet reflected the perfect American family

5. The American Dream in the Fifties The Organization and the Organization Man Conglomerates • Conglomerates—corporation that owns smaller, unrelated companies • Diversify to protect from downturns in individual industries Continued . . . NEXT

6. CONGLOMERATES EMERGE • Conglomerates, major corporations that include a number of smaller companies in unrelated fields, emerged in the 1950s • One conglomerate, International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), bought rental car companies and hotel chains

7. The American Dream in the Fifties The Organization and the Organization Man • Employment in the U.S. • By 1956, majority of Americans not in blue-collar (industrial) jobs • More in higher-paying, white-collar (office, professional) positions • Many in services, like sales, advertising, insurance, communications Continued . . . NEXT

8. THE ORGANIZATION AND THE ORGANIZATION MAN • During the 1950s, businesses expanded rapidly • More and more people held “white-collar” jobs - clerical, management, or professional jobs • The fields of sales, advertising, insurance and communications exploded White Collar jobs expanded greatly in the 1950s

9. Social Conformity • Many employees with well-paid, secure jobs lose individuality • Personality tests see if job candidates fit in company culture • Companies reward teamwork, loyalty, encourage conformity NEXT

10. SOCIAL CONFORMITY • American workers found themselves becoming standardized • Called the “Organization Man,” the modern worker struggled with a loss of individualism • Businesses did not want creative thinkers, rebels or anyone that would “rock the boat”

11. Despite their success, some workers questioned whether pursuing the American dream exacted too high a price, as conformity replaced individuality

12. FRANCHISES EMERGE • Another strategy for business expansion was franchising • also the right to use company name and system • A franchise is a company that offers similar services in many locations • Fast food restaurants developed the first franchises in America McDonald’s is one of the leading franchises in the world

13. Guided Reading: Postwar America

14. THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE • Most Americans worked in cities, but fewer and fewer of them lived there • New highways and the affordability of cars and gasoline made commuting possible • Of the 13 million homes built in the 1950s, 85% were built in suburbs • For many, the suburbs were the American Dream The American Dream complete with a white picket fence

15. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS • A – How were conglomerates and franchises alike and how were they different? • Both were successful business entities that grew rapidly. • The conglomerate grew by diversifying; • Franchises grew by opening identical stores in new locations.

16. B – What effect did the climate in many corporations have on some workers? • Some became dissatisfied with the emphasis on conformity and the impersonal corporate atmosphere.

17. WOMEN’S ROLES IN THE 1950S During the 1950s, the role of homemaker and mother was glorified in popular magazines, movies and television

18. WOMEN AT WORK Those women who did work were finding job opportunities limited to fields such as nursing, teaching and office support Women earned far less than man for comparable jobs

19. D – How did women’s roles and opportunities in the 1950’s differ from women’s roles today? Most 1950’s women were homemakers and had fewer education and career opportunities than women have today.

20. Guided Reading: Postwar America

21. The Baby Boom • 1950s, 85% of new homes built in suburbs1945–1965 • baby boom—soaring birth rate after soldiers return Continued . . . NEXT

22. THE BABY BOOM • During the late 1940s and through the early 1960s the birthrate in the U.S. soared • At its height in 1957, a baby was born in America every 7 seconds (over 4.3 million babies in ’57 alone) • Baby boomers represent the largest generation in the nation’s history

23. WHY SO MANY BABIES? Why did the baby boom occur when it did? • Husbands returning from war • Decreasing marriage age • Desirability of large families • Confidence in economy • Advances in medicine

24. ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND CHILDCARE • Advances in the treatment of childhood diseases included drugs to combat typhoid fever and polio (Jonas Salk) Dr. Salk was instrumental in the eradication of polio

25. DR. SPOCK ADVISES PARENTS • Many parents raised their children according to the guidelines of pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock Dr. Spock’s book sold 10 million copies in the 1950s

26. He thought children should be allowed to express themselves and parents should never physically punish their kids

27. IMPACT OF BABY BOOM • As a result of the baby boom 10 million students entered elementary schools in the 1950s • California built a new school every 7 days in the late ’50s • Toy sales reached an all-time high in 1958 when $1.25 billion in toys were sold

29. C – How did the baby boom affect American life in the 1950’s? • Creation of youth-centered culture; • Increased demand for consumer goods and jobs related to rearing and educating children.

30. Women’s Roles • Magazines, TV, movies glorify role of homemaker, mother • Over 1/5 of suburban wives dissatisfied with their lives • 1960, 40% mothers work; limited opportunities, less pay than men NEXT

31. Guided Reading: Postwar America

32. LEISURE IN THE 1950s • Americans experienced shorter work weeks and more vacation time than ever before • Leisure time activities became a multi-billion dollar industry • Labor-saving devices added more spare time Labor-saving devices provided more leisure time for Americans

33. POPULAR LEISURE ACTIVITES • In 1953 alone Americans spent $30 billion on leisure • Popular activities included fishing, bowling, hunting and golf • Americans attended, or watched on T.V., football, baseball and basketball games Bowling remains one of the top leisure activities in the U.S.

34. Guided Reading: Postwar America

35. THE AUTOMOBILE CULTURE • After the rationing of WWII, inexpensive and plentiful fuel and easy credit led many to buy cars • No public transit in suburbs; cars necessary • advertising increase car sales • By 1960, over 60 million Americans owned autos

36. E – Why did auto sales surge in the 1950’s? • Cars were necessary for life in the suburbs, • Americans loved cars, and the positive economic factors allowed for Americans to buy cars.

37. The Interstate Highway System • Local, state roads link cities, suburbs to schools, shops, work • Interstate Highway Act—nationwide highway network unites country • Highways enable long-haul trucking, new towns, family vacations • Towns near highways prosper; those near older, smaller roads decline INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ACT 1956 authorized a nationwide highway network – 41,000 miles of road linking America Continued . . . NEXT

38. THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM • “Automania” spurred the construction of roads linking major cities while connecting schools, shopping centers and workplaces to residential suburbs

39. Mobility Takes Its Toll • Auto boom stimulates new businesses—e.g. drive-in movies • Cars create social, environmental problems—e.g. accidents, pollution • Upper-, middle-class whites leave cities; jobs, businesses follow • Economic gulf widens between suburban and urban • - also widens gap between middle class and the poor NEXT

40. IMPACT OF THE HIGHWAY The Interstate Highway system resulted in: • More trucking • Less railroad • More suburbs, further away Trucking is the #1 means of moving cargo in the United States today

41. HIGHWAYS “HOMOGENIZE” AMERICA • Another effect of the highway system was that the scenery of America began to look the same • Restaurants, motels, highway billboards, gas stations, etc. all began to look similar • The nation had become “homogenized” Anytown, USA

42. “Our new roads, with their ancillaries, the motels, filling stations, and restaurants advertising eats, have made it possible for you to drive from Brooklyn to Los Angeles without a change of diet, scenery, or culture.” John Keats, The Insolent Chariots 1958

43. DOWNSIDE TO MOBILITY • While the car industry boom stimulated production, jobs, shopping centers, and the restaurant industry, it also had negative effects • Noise • Pollution • Accidents • Traffic Jams • Stress • Decline of public transportation

44. Guided Reading: Postwar America

45. SECTION 2 Consumerism Unbound Planned Obsolescence • Planned obsolescence—making products that get outdated, wear out - makes consumers buy or want to buy new ones Continued . . . NEXT

46. GMC: Greatest Made Chevy

47. CHEVROLET: Can Hear Every Valve Rattle On Long Extended Trips

48. CHRYSLER: Company Has Recommended You Start Learning Engine Repair

49. DODGE: Drips – Oil, - Drops - Grease - Everywhere Dad's - Old - Dead - Garage - Experiment

50. FORD: Fix- Or- Repair- Daily; Found- On- Road- Dead Fast- Only- Rolling- Downhill;